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ATV rider and his lawyers win case against Honda Motor Company for negligent vehicle design

Accident Type: 
Other Type of Accident
Result Date: 
Monday, May 4, 1992
Monetary Result: 
$840,000
  Robert Rangel, 17, was riding his Honda three-wheeled all-terrain-vehicle at a popular off-road riding area in Southern California when he collided with a dunebuggy at a blind curve. In the accident, Rangel lost the use of his left arm, suffered possible brain damage, and facial injuries. He underwent one surgery and two hopitalizations totaling ten days. Due to his injuries, Rangel hired an attorney to sue the makers and dealers of the ATV, the Honda Motor Company. He and his lawyers alleged that the vehicle's design did not permit him to turn in time for the accident. In addition, formal training should have been recommended by the constructor and the dealers of the vehicle. They also claimed that a roll-over structure should have been a saftey feature on this ATV. Honda and its lawyers countered that Rangel entered a blind curve on the wrong side of the path and that he was at excessive speed. In the end, the jury sided with Rangel and his lawyers, awarding him $4,200,000, however he was found 80% at fault. Honda was found 5% at fault and the dealers 15%. Due to a joint and several liability law, which provided that a party at fault with the means to pay the full liability must do so, Honda payed Rangel $840,000.

Motorcyclist and his lawyers win his case after being injured in an accident with a vehicle in a funeral procession that ran a red light

Accident Type: 
Motorcycle Accident
Result Date: 
Thursday, September 27, 2001
Monetary Result: 
$790,000
John McCord was stopped at an intersection in Sacramento County, California on his motorcycle as a funeral procession was passing by on a cross-street. When the light turned green, he entered the intersection. A vehicle in the funeral procession, operated by Ivan Semenyuk, ran the red light, assuming he had the right-of-way in the procession, striking McCord. As a result of the accident, McCord suffered a fractured pelvis, requiring a total hip replacement, and a knee injury.  Mr. McCord decided to sue the parties involved in his accident, including Semenyuk; Wayne McMahon, the funeral escort officer controlling both the procession and the intersection; the California Funeral Escort Company and its owner, Sam Oliver; and the Lind Brothers Mortuary.  Mr. McCord and his lawyers argued that McMahon, the escort officer, was negligent in leaving the intersection before the procession had fully crossed it. He also argued that the mortuary company was negligent for only hiring a single motorcycle escort for a procession involving 50 to 75 cars over a six mile journey to the cemetary. In addition, Semenyuk was negligent for running the red light when the escorting officer was not present at the intersection. Semenyuk argued that while he did run the red light, the other defendents were responsible, since they had failed to control the intersection and the procession. The other defendents argued that the negligence was Semenyuk's alone, as he ran the red light when the escort officer was not present or in control of the intersection. In addition, the defending parties argued that the knee injury was pre-existing and that McCord would not require any future knee or hip surgeries. In the end, the jury sided with Mr. McCord and his attorneys. They awarded him $790,000, finding Semenyuk 5% liable, and McMahon and his employer 95% liable. The mortuary was not found liable.
"Worried about what to worry about? Accidents should move higher up your list. Worldwide, road injuries kill more people than AIDS. Falls kill nearly three times as many people as brain cancer. Drowning claims more lives than mothers dying in childbirth. Both fire and poisonings have many times more fatal victims than natural disasters. In 2013, the combined death toll from all unintentional injuries was 3.5 million people. Only heart disease and stroke were greater killers."  

"The effect of marijuana use on drivers just became a little less hazy – and not in the way legislators or medical experts might expect. A new study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that consuming marijuana does not elevate the crash risk of the driver, a result that’s leaving road safety decision-makers wanting more information."

Police crews and emergency responders have been stretched thin Tuesday morning as drivers have taken to roads despite warnings, leaving strings of accidents that have delayed traffic for miles.

The Nashville Metropolitan Police Department reported that between 3:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. Tuesday officers responded to four injury crash calls and 82 non-injury crash calls.--Jordan Buie

Chinese were seeing in the Year of the Sheep on Thursday, but with fortune-tellers predicting accidents and an unstable economy and some parents-to-be fretting over the year's reputation for docile kids, it wasn't exactly warming everyone's heart.   Read more at the Morning Call.
Rock ‘n’ roll was still in its infancy when it suffered its first tragedy. On Feb. 3, 1959, three of the biggest stars of the day — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper — were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa. Read More: 56 Years Ago: Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper Killed in Plane Crash 
In a recent article in Wired magazine titled “Inside the Buzz-Fueled Media Startups Battling for Your Attention,” Matt Honan frankly discusses the prevalence of social media and the “if it bleeds it leads” mentality of the media in general. While there is undeniably some definite truth to this perspective, there is another side worth considering. In some cases there may be a deeper richer story behind driving traffic to any given site: sourcing the humanity and empathy of those subjected to an otherwise over saturated 24-hour news cycle.

How big is the problem?

  • Injuries are the leading cause of death for AI/AN ages 1 to 54 and the third leading cause of death overall. 1

One person is injured after a Tuesday crash in Canoga Park, California that began as a pursuit of a driver suspected of driving under the influence of narcotics. The accident occured on the 8700 block of Mason Avenue. Details concerning the victim's condition and identity were not immediately available.